The present invention relates in general to infrared camera systems. In particular, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for monitoring the thermal characteristics of a scene captured using an infrared camera system.
Infrared camera systems are commonly used for the inspection and monitoring of the temperature profile exhibited by an object or scene (hereinafter collectively referred to as a xe2x80x9cscenexe2x80x9d). For example, characteristics such as the thermal conductivity and insulative performance of electrical components, mechanical devices, physical structures, and the like, are frequently analyzed using an infrared camera system.
Often, one of the primary goals of the inspection/monitoring process is to locate and determine the temperature of the hottest spot in the scene or to compare the hottest spot in the scene to earlier images of the same scene. It is known to display the temperature of a selected spot of the scene in a temperature display window. This allows an operator to manually search the scene for the maximum temperature of the scene. Presently this is performed by manually manipulating a software generated cursor or other graphic element displayed superimposed over a displayed image of the scene. The cursor is manually manipulated via a keyboard, mouse, or other input device. The temperature of the spot associated with the cursor position is actively displaying in a temperature display window. Thus the hottest spot in the scene can be subjectively determined by a manual search. This is a relatively simple, albeit tedious process, as long as the temperature profile of the scene remains stable, and the scene exhibits a sufficiently large range of temperatures. However, it is still a subjective process and, as such, even under the best of conditions, an operator may fail to accurately locate and determine the temperature of the hottest spot within the scene. This is especially true if the location or temperature of the hottest spot is constantly shifting within the scene.
The present invention obviates these and other disadvantages of the prior art by providing a method and apparatus for automatically identifying and tracking the hottest spot in a scene captured and displayed by an infrared camera system. In a first aspect of the present invention, a cursor, preferably in the form of cross hairs, or similar type of visual indicator, is superimposed onto a video display displaying a video image of the scene in the location corresponding to the hottest spot in the infrared scene. The temperature at this location is also automatically displayed. The location of the cursor, and the temperature of the scene at this location, are automatically updated for successive frames of data captured and displayed by the infrared camera system. Alternatively, once the hottest spot has been determined, the location of the cursor and the temperature displayed may also be locked to perform further analysis.
In a second aspect of the present invention, first and second cursors are provided to allow an operator to determine and view the temperature difference between first and second points in the infrared scene. For example, the first cursor may be configured to correspond to the hottest spot in the infrared scene as described above while the second cursor may be manually positioned by an operator on another point in the infrared scene. The temperature difference between the two point is displayed and continuously updated as either or both of these temperatures fluctuate. In another embodiment, the position of the first cursor and the temperature of the first spot associated with the first cursor may by locked while the second cursor is manually positioned by an operator on other points in the infrared scene to determine the temperature difference between points associated with the first and second cursors.
Generally, the present invention is directed toward a technique for monitoring the thermal characteristics of a scene captured using an infrared camera system, comprising the steps of:
capturing thermal data;
automatically detecting a particular spot in the thermal data, which may be the hottest or the coldest spot;
displaying the thermal data on a display device;
automatically displaying and positioning a visual indicator on the display device over the particular spot; and
repeating the above steps to automatically track the particular spot in the thermal data.
In another embodiment of the present invention a method for determining a difference in temperature between two spots of a thermal scene comprises the steps of:
capturing thermal data;
automatically detecting a the hottest or the coldest spot in the thermal data;
displaying the thermal data on a display device;
automatically displaying a first visual indicator on the display device over the hottest or coldest spot detected;
displaying a second visual indicator on the display device;
positioning the second visual indicator over a second spot in the thermal data; and,
displaying a temperature difference between the hottest or coldest spot and the second spot.
It should be readily apparent that the present invention is not limited to the automatic detection and tracking of the hottest spot in a thermal scene. Indeed, the present invention may be used to detect and track the coolest point in a thermal scene, or any other desired reference temperature, without departing from the intended scope of present invention as defined in the accompanying claims.